ERIC ED463490: The Starting Early Starting Smart Story.

71 Pages·2001·4.5 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CG 031 656
ED 463 490
The Starting Early Starting Smart Story.
TITLE
Casey Family Programs, Seattle, WA.; Substance Abuse and
INSTITUTION
Mental Health Services Administration (DHHS/PHS), Rockville,
MD.; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (DHHS/PHS), Rockville, MD. Center for Mental
Health Services.; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (DHHS/PHS), Rockville, MD. Center for
Substance Abuse Prevention.; Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (DHHS/PHS), Rockville, MD.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.
BKD-435
REPORT NO
2001-00-00
PUB DATE
70p.; Cover page title, "The SESS Story." Photographic
NOTE
images may not reproduce clearly.
5-UIH-SP07974-8047
CONTRACT
For full text: http://www.health.org/promos/sess/.
AVAILABLE FROM
Reports Descriptive (141)
PUB TYPE
MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Addiction; At Risk Persons; Child Rearing; Cognitive
DESCRIPTORS
Development; Delivery Systems; Early Childhood Education;
*Family Programs; *Integrated Services; *Mental Health
Programs; Prevention; Primary Health Care; Program
Development; *Substance Abuse; *Young Children
Project Head Start
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) is an early childhood
public/private initiative designed to identify new, empirical knowledge about
the effectiveness of integrating substance abuse prevention, addictions
treatment, and mental health services with primary health care and childcare
service settings (e.g., Head Start, day care, preschool) to reach very young
children (ages 0-7) and their families at risk for or experiencing substance
abuse and/or mental illness. Knowledge from these projects is designed not
only to establish best practices but also to inform future policy decisions
about such integrated approaches to prevention. This publication documents
some of the most promising practices and early lessons learned in SESS
programs. Contains two appendixes detailing mission statements of the SESS
national collaborators and SESS grant sites.
(GCP)
Reproductions-supplied-by-EDRS_are_the_best_that_cambe_made
from the original document.
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U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
O This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organi7ation
originating it
O Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality
Points of view or opinions stated in this
4
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy
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BEST COPY AVAILABLE
ABOUT STARTING EARLY STARTING SMART
Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) is a knowledge development initiative designed to:
Create and test a new model for providing integrated behavioral health services (mental health and substance
abuse prevention and treatment) for young children (birth to 7 years) and their families; and to
Inform practitioners and policymakers of successful interventions and promising practices from the multi-year
study, which lay a critical foundation for the positive growth and development of very young children.
The SESS approach informs policymaking for:
Service access and utilization strategies
Service system redesign
Targeting benefits for children
Strengthening the home environment
Working with families from a strengths-based
Using culture as a resource in planning services
perspective
with families
In October 1997, with initial funding of $30 million, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) and Casey Family Programs embarked on a precedent-setting public/private
collaboration. Twelve culturally diverse grantee organizations were selected. Each provides integrated behavioral
health services in community-based early childhood settingssuch as Child Care, Head Start and Primary Care
Clinicswhere young families customarily receive services for children. Critical to this project is the required
collaboration among funders, grantees, consumers, and local site service providers. Implicit in the design of this
project is sustainability planning for secured longevity of the programs.
The Study Design
The 12 grantees, working collaboratively, designed a study whereby integrated behavioral health services are
delivered in typical early childhood settings. Each site has an intervention and comparison group, and each site
delivers similar targeted, culturally-relevant, interventions for young children and their families. A collaboratively
determined set of outcomes has been established to evaluate project effectiveness:
Caregiver-child interaction outcomes
Access to and use of services
Family functioning
Social, emotional, and cognitive outcomes
for children
The goal of the SESS research is to provide rigorous scientific evidence concerning whether children and families
participating in SESS programs achieve better access to needed services and better social, emotional, cognitive, arid
behavioral health outcomes than do the children and families not receiving these services. SESS programs may also
generate information about opportunities, practices, and barriers to sought-after outcomes. This information is
critical to achieving effective public policies.
SESS Extended
It was clear from the early days of SESS that whatever effects were uncovered, longitudinal extension of the study
would be valuable. In 2001, SAMHSA and Casey Family Programs embarked upon an extension phase, which will
increase understanding of the impact of early intervention as young children enter preschool and school years, when
babies or toddlers are asked to meet escalating emotional and cognitive demands. This longitudinal extension can
validate early methods and findings and assess their durability. It is anticipated that this work will include additional
data points of a refined instrument set and intervention package with the addition of study questions related to cost
and value, and other special studies. Additional future plans include applying and validating early SESS lessons
learned, key concepts, components, and principles to new settings that serve families with young children.
Summation
In sum, SESS reflects the growing acknowledgement that it is important to target positive interventions to very
young children. The infant and preschool years lay a critical foundation for later growth and development. Second,
successful interventions for very young children must meet the multiple behavioral health, physical health, and
educational needs of families. Third, integrated behavioral health services must be made more accessible to families
with multiple needs, which are difficult to meet in a fragmented service system.
For more information about Starting Early Starting Smart and related SAMHSA-Casey products, contact
WW14: cas-ey. org or www.csap.gov or www.health.org.
3
r.
The Starting Early
Starting Smart Story
COLLABORATORS:
Casey Family Programs
U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services
Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration
Center for Mental Health Services
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
2001
4
This report was supported by Grants 5 UM SP07974-8047 from the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA),
and its three centers, the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), the Center for Substance Abuse
Prevention (CSAP), and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)-and Casey Family Programs
The national cross-site evaluation data were collected under cooperative agreements with the Starting
Early Starting Smart grantees including the data coordinating center-Evaluation, Management, and
Training, Inc. in Folsom, CAwhich was responsible for the national Starting Early Starting Smart cross-
site program evaluation per GFA No. 97-004.
Suggested citation:
Casey Family Programs and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2001). The starting
early starting smart story: Washington, DC: Casey Family Programs and the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
For more information about Starting Early Starting Smart and related SAME SA-Casey products, contact
www.casey.org or www.csap.gov or www.health.org.
5
OFSTARTING-EARLY-STARTING-SMART THE STORY
The Families and Grantees of Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS)
would like to acknowledge:
Ruth Massinga, M.S.
Nelba Chavez, Ph.D.
and
President and CEO
Administrator
Casey Family Programs
Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration
Seattle, WA
Rockville, MD
along with the Casey Board of Trustees and the three SAMHSA CentersCenter for Substance Abuse
Prevention, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and Center for Mental Health Servicesfor their vision
and commitment to reaching families with very young children who are affected by environments of substance
abuse and mental disorders. Without their innovative public-private partnership and unprecedented support,
this initiative would not have been possible.
We further acknowledge the early guidance and program development from Stephania O'Neill, M.S.W.; Rose
Kittrell, M.S.W.; Hildy (Hjermstad) Ayers, M.S.W.; Karol Kumpfer, Ph.D.; Sue Martone, M.P.A.; and Jeanne
DiLoreto, M.S. In addition, the advisement and investment of the U.S. Department of Education, the Health
Resources and Services Administration and the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services were critical in this collaboration effort.
Many thanks to the SAMHSA-Casey Team for their tenacious efforts and unprecedented collaboration:
Jean McIntosh, M.S.W.
Joe Autry, M.D.
Executive Vice President
Acting Administrator
Casey Strategic Planning
Substance Abuse and Mental
and Development
Health Services Administration
Barbara Kelley Duncan, M.Ed.
Patricia Salomon, M.D.
Peter Pecora, Ph.D.
Michele Basen, M.P.A.
Eileen O'Brien, Ph.D.
Velva Taylor Spriggs, M.S.W.
Jocelyn Whitfield, M.A.
It_
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SESS PROGRAM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) is a proving ground for identifying, refining, and documenting
effective practices that engage, involve, and strengthen families of young children at high risk. Each
SESS site offers different kinds of program services, which stemmed from the needs of their families
and the kinds of collaborations that were developed. Through the SESS initiative, we have learned
many important lessons that can and should be made available to families, program developers and
practitioners, policyrnakers, and funders at the community, State, and Federal levels.
Some of the most promising practices and early lessons learned in. SESS programs are documented
in The SESS Story, which provides descriptions of the SESS programs and early lessons learned. The
results of the cross-site research study will be published, as will an array of products that share
lessons learned and new knowledge that has been gained. Of particular value, SESS has developed a
strong network of consumer vcieesparents who have struggled with substance abuse and/or mental .
health problems in their own lives. These parents have compelling stories, which, when shared with
key decisionmakers, can. instigate dialogue about expanded investm.ent in programs using SESS key
principles.
The cross-site research study will provide rigorous scientific evidence concerning whether children
and families participating in SESS progra:ms achieve better access to needed services and better
social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral health outcomes than do the children and families not
receiving these services. Additional products will share information about opportunities, practices,
and barriers to sought after outcomes, including a look at issues of cost effectiveness, program
sustainability, and a unique sub-study assessing improvement in caregiver-child interaction through
videotaped observations.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and its three Centers,
The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS),
and The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), joined with the Casey Family Programs
(CEP) to carry out a unique public-private partnership designed to produce the knowledge that will
justify and compel decisionmakers to make these services widely available to young children and
their families, in order to preserve the developmental promise of all the Nation's children.
We arc pleased to release The SESS Story. hiformation about availability of current and future SESS
products will be published on SAMHSA and Casey Family Programs Web sites:
www.csap.gov or www.casey.org or www.health.org.
7
111
PREFACE
iii
Acknowledgements
Preface
An Introduction to the SESS Program
I.
1
SESS Program Innovations
SESS Offers Child, and. Family-Centered Services
SESS Offers Strengths-Based Services Drawn
from. Family Traditions and Cultural Background
7
SESS Interventions
8
SESS Increases Services Through Collaboration
8
SESS Measures Outcomes to inform Practice and Policy
10
SESS Lessons Learned
III.
11
Recruiting and Working With Families
The Collaboration Process
13
SESS Next Steps
17
SESS Program Sites
19
V.
Early Childhood Settings
21
42
Primary Health Care Sites
APPENDICES
57
Appendix A. Mission Statements of the SESS National Collaborators
58
Appendix B. Starting Early Starting Smart Grant Sites
59
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CONTENTS

iHE SEM PROGRAM
SESS
Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) is
program is to test the
The goal of the
an early
childhood public/private collaboration effort funded
effectiveness of integrating behavioral health
services for children from birth to 7 years of age
by the three Centers of the Substance Abuse
and their families/caregivers within their customary
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
service settings (early childhood or primary health
and the Casey Family Programs. In addition, the
SESS
program is being conducted with the
care). Effects on physical, behavioral, and cognitive
development of integrating services are important
advisement and investment of the U.S. Department
outcomes for families of young children.
of Education; the Health Resources and Services
Administration, and the Administration for Children
SESS
is to foster public/private
Another goal of
and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and
collaborations, which create more comprehensive
Human Services.
and integrated services for young children and their
Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) is
SESS
program requires collaboration
a 4-year
families. The
research initiative, which is designed to provide
among funding organizations, grantees, program
SESS
grants
child- and family-centered programs that bring participants, and local site providers.
are awarded to support and invigorate community
behavioral health services (i.e., mental health
services, substance abuse prevention and treatment
partnerships.
services, and family/parenting services) to families
Collaboration requires extensive infrastructure
through settings regularly used by families. These
building, sustainability planning, and creative
services are offered in 12 communitiesfive
methods for drawing on separate funding streams
primary health care clinics and seven early
to provide integrated services within the
childhood sites (five are Head Start programs).
111
I. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SESS PROGRAM
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